Energy efficiency is the future of the power sector, believes Ravichandran Purushothaman, president of Danfoss Industries Private Limited. He has close to three decades of experience in the energy sector, over half of it in Danfoss Industries, the Indian subsidiary of the global climate and energy solutions major. Earlier, he worked with Siemens for a similar period. Purushothaman is also chairman of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) Tamil Nadu State Council and head of the CII National Task Force for Cold Chain Development in India.
Purushothaman has led Danfoss Industries to build a world-class energy-efficient campus spanning 50 acres in Oragadam in Chennai, ramp up the head-count across the value chain and increase localisation. “We constantly innovate our products to improve energy efficiency. To stay ahead of the game, we continuously invest in R&D and today, we spend 4.2 per cent of our turnover annually on investments in R&D and technological developments,” he says.
On the state of the power sector, Purushothaman says, “India is developing rapidly and we can expect more cities to be created in the future, which, in turn, means an increased need for power. But India’s power intensity is still low and consumption will outpace demand. Therefore, there is a strong need to make a robust long-term plan, which includes the right mix of sustainable power for the future.” In terms of management, he focuses on enhanced engagement and empowerment of employees. “I emphasise on setting ambitious targets, making a robust plan and breaking that plan into measurable targets while keeping a strong focus on execution,” he says.
Purushothaman has a degree in electronics and communications engineering from the College of Engineering, Guindy, and has pursued academic programmes from the Indian Institute of Management, Ahmedabad, and Singularity University, USA.
Cycling and farming are his favourite activities to unwind from work. In fact, he wishes to create a highly automated model greenhouse farm for growing organic vegetables some time in the future. Purushothaman is an aficionado of Spanish and Mexican food, but idli-sambar still remain his all-time favourite. A voracious reader, he is currently reading Immunity to Change by Robert Kegan and Lisa Laskow Lahey. Going forward, he wants to see Danfoss Industries become a billion-dollar company.